I go back and forth with how anal I want to be with my training and diet, but when I am serious about making drastic visual changes, the logbook gets busier. I will track daily caloric intake vs. energy output. I will also track my training not just with reps and sets, but with numbers. Bodyfat levels and LBM will also be checked weekly.

I don't know if I'll stick with this training log online, but I will begin with some less organized documentation and see where it goes.

Today I did a full body workout. I still had some residual soreness from my last workout, but it's no big deal. A lot of people around me are really sick, so I try and keep a distance from them in the gym and at work. This in turn, makes me more creative at the gym so that I can at times utilize the less popular equipment.

The weight room was initially empty, so I used it while I could and then had to move on.

My goal in fantasy land is to be 200 lbs. @ 9 % BF, but the goal in reality is to be around 185 @ 9% BF. I want to maintain this for a year or more. Not competing, I just always stay lean.

Oh yeah, I want to get stronger too. The Overall workout poundages will go up, the TT should remain about the same. I will have to slow the pace and rest more between sets as the poundages increase, and then I will speed up the rest between sets based on how I feel.

I have posted pics before, but I can do that again. I am 47 years old.

What I do is this: I don't count the warmup weights, I just multiply the weight of the bb, db, apparatus, whatever- and multiply that weight x the reps, and the reps x the number of sets for a total workload.

"TT" is an acronym for Time under Tension, which in my opinion is a very important ingredient in muscle growth.

I then add up the total weight of each of the exercises for a grand total. I also time the sets with a fair amount of accuracy-I keep track and include rest periods between sets. It's not rocket science although it can be a bit tedious. What ends up happening though, is that you get a clear cut goal or desired accomplishment for each workout.

Obviously there is a point of diminishing returns, which is where you take a somewhat "active" layoff and rest up the body for another bout of exercise. Hopefully after each cycle in this fashion, I end up a bit stronger and more muscular.

If you think this is a bit much, believe me, it can be taken a lot farther.

I've been working out for a whole lotta years. This is not the only routine I use. I've tried em' all... this really isn't anything new.

You can do the same thing with daily caloric intake and expenditure. It eliminates a lot of guesswork and takes a more direct approach to goal setting and subtracts a bit of the randomness that is so prevalent in the workouts of most folks.

You can get strong real quick, but you will also have a tendency to push harder than you should just to beat your last workout. I sure wouldn't argue that this is the best way to do approach your workout, I'm just currently in the mood for it. That's all.

Oh yeah, "BW" stands for 'bodyweight' which is usually in parenthesis.

And for anyone who is really interested in trying this type of workout, just look for a book written 1997 by Peter Sisco and John Little. I believe it was called "Power Factor"- something like that.

John Little is a favorite of mine. He was involved in a lot of Mike Mentzer stuff, but also has a lot of history with Bruce Lee and his philosophy on martial arts. John Little's writing has always interested me no matter what the topic. I'm pretty sure he is considered somewhat of a bodybuilding authority. He seems to get a little deeper into the science and philosophy end of it, kind of like Mentzer, but without tweaking out.

One other thing I should add, I usually do all the numbers just before I go to bed, so I will make a lot of mistakes.

The basic premise is keeping a meticulous track of progress, but it ain't fool proof. You still have to account for life in general, and who the hell can do that with any degree of accuracy? If you feel like shit, you may as well just hit the weights and forget about the numbers until you feel like you can beat them.

Swimming for 30 minutes (butterfly) non-stop will burn around 700 - 900 calories. I can't work out on these days. I get too exhausted and can't eat or sleep enough to make it through the next day.

Eating meals burns calories. You add up the caloric content in each meal and then subtract 8-12% depending on what foods you ate. Foods high in fiber (fibrous carbs) can create a "caloric deficit" or 'negative caloric balance' all by themselves. They take more calories to digest than they supply to the diet.

An hour of driving my car (Z06) burns around 150 calories (or more depending on whats happening around me)

As you can see, you can get real anal. The cool thing is, as long as you are progressing to your goals, the more accurate your figures become. It takes time, but it all becomes embedded in your head as you follow a 'routine' lifestyle.

The very coolest part for me is eliminating all the random guesswork. It's like 'travelling as the crow flies'

All the info you need is out there. You just have to be resourceful to find it and put it together. It keeps me from wasting to much time. It also helps refine the 'learning process'

I'm still a little under the weather. I've taken a few days off, but I don't lose anything or gain anything (not fat anyway)-- muscle grows when i take a good rest. I stress a lot at work, so sometimes I just have to be cool and try to chill.